Spaceship
by Georgia Dominguez
Summary: The First Order built itself up from the ashes of the Galactic Empire. Strong and militaristic, the group has grown significantly, in secret, over the decades. But with every extremist group, there are those who. . .resist. Leia Organa saw the signs, she recognized what was happening. When no one else listened to her, she formed the Resistance to continue fighting for freedom.


_I'm waiting for my spaceship to come back to me_  
 _It's coming back for me_  
 _I don't really care if you believe it's coming back for me, yeah_  
 _I been living in a lonesome galaxy_  
 _But in my dreams, I see them come 'n rescue me_  
 _Look up in the sky and there they'll be_  
 _I bet you'll think of me then_

-Spaceship; **from Kesha**

* * *

Shailene sat on the ground, her back pressed against the wall and her knees drawn. Her head was low, her chin almost touching her chest. It had been a long, very stressful day. One that wasn't supposed to get bad so quickly. But Shailene didn't mean for it to get bad, either. She knew what she did was her fault, and she was going to own it. That was the responsible thing to do, right? Own the mistakes you've made? For Shailene, she felt as though what she did was monumental. People got _hurt_. Some people could've _died_.

Giving a small whimper, Shailene brought her knees closer to her. She couldn't think like that, it would only make her feel worse.

When there was a soft knock on her door, Shailene couldn't help but involuntarily flinch.

 **-0-0-0-0-**

"How are you feeling, Aja?"

With a humorless chuckle, Aja ran a trembling hand through her hair. Her heart was beating painfully in her chest, her mind _spiraling_ out of control — it all felt like some weird dream. Aja could only _pray_ what her daughter did wasn't real, but word was known to spread quickly. God only knows how many people found out.

"I'm not doing good, Leia," Aja exclaimed. "Not good at _all_."

A sympathetic look came across Leia's face. "I understand this is a difficult time for you," she responded.

"You have no idea." Letting out a trembling breath, Aja rubbed her hands over her face. "Ever since Kai's death, Shailene has been getting worse. This is the first time she's acted out in _months_."

"I suggested you both stay with us," Leia stated calmly, "so she could learn how to control herself."

"The last thing I want is for my daughter to be exposed to. . ."

"I understand."

"Leia, I know you want what's best for Shailene," Aja said, keeping her tone slow, "but I don't know if it's a good idea to have her be with the Resistance. She's just a kid."

"Shailene is very strong with the Force," Leia responded. "I feel with her being with the Resistance, she'll have a good foundation to control herself and stay protected from the First Order."

"How can the Resistance teach her how to control the Force?" Aja asked.

"I can personally help her." Leia placed a comforting hand on the mother's shoulder. "I've learned quite a bit when it comes to it. I may not be as good as Luke, but I can do my best."

"Leia, I can't put this responsibility on you," Aja murmured.

"The Kensingtons are old friends of mine," Leia assured. "I promised Kai I'd look after you and Shailene before his passing. I plan on keeping that promise."

With tears in her eyes, Aja nodded. "I'll show you to Shailene's room."

 **-0-0-0-0-**

For Shailene, she felt pure terror and admiration when General Leia Organa came into her bedroom. She'd heard stories of the former princess, how she helped take down the Galactic Empire and all her other adventures. Shailene admired Leia, hoping to be like her one day. But as far as the young girl understood, the General wasn't one with the Force. On the other hand, Leia was the sister of the infamous Luke Skywalker and the daughter of Darth Vader. So it should go without saying she knew a bit on what the Force was about.

"Hello, Shailene," Leia said, her voice gentle. The steps she took towards the young girl were slow and deliberate, yet still maintained the authority of a leader. "I'm an old friend of your parents'. They've told me a lot about you."

"You knew my papa?" Shailene asked, her voice quiet.

"Of course. He was a very close friend of mine."

Furrowing her brows, Shailene thought over that statement. She had to wonder how her father knew someone as legendary as Leia Organa. Shailene's brain just couldn't register that.

"How did you know him?" she asked.

Leia's expressions softened a bit, looking almost heartbroken. "We worked together," she answered. "He was one of my closest allies, aside from your mother."

Looking down, Shailene frowned. Aja and Kai never spoke of their lives from before, it was almost forbidden. But when Shailene's father died, it became almost taboo to even _think_ about it. Aja's grief over the loss of her husband was great, and she couldn't bear the thought of any remembrance of him.

"This is a difficult time for you, Shailene," Leia said, her tone gentle. "Your mother's told me what happened. I'm so sorry this happened to you."

The young girl's cheeks flushed with embarrassment. She'd always dreamed of meeting Leia, but not under such tragic circumstances. "I didn't mean to do it," she whispered. "It was an accident."

Kneeling down in front of Shailene, Leia gently lifted the girl's face up. "I know," she murmured. "You're still learning, but I can help you. Would you like to come with me?"

"What about mama?" Shailene asked, her eyes widening.

"She will stay here," Leia answered. "She'll be here when you come back."

 **-0-0-0-0-**

Shailene was both fascinated and confused by the Force. She grew up _hearing_ little bits and pieces about it, but never truly _learning_ about it. Shailene's parents weren't fans of talking about the Force, either, so asking _them_ was out of the question. It was a hard concept to understand, especially for someone who'd never had the opportunity to really know about it before. Leia explained it to the best of her abilities, though, so Shailene was grateful in that regard.

From what she learned from Leia, Shailene _knew_ that the Force was energy that connected everything together. The Force was in all lifeforms, but was stronger in some more than others. There were a few muddy parts from what Leia had explained, but Shailene was doing her best to keep up. She trusted that the General was teaching to the best of her abilities.

"Am I meditating today?" Shailene asked, looking at Leia expectantly. Meditation was an important part of the training process. It helped the young girl get proper control mentally.

"You always begin your training with meditation, Shailene," Leia said, giving the young girl a knowing look.

"Right," she murmured, flushing in embarrassment.

"Meditation will help you maintain balance within your body," Leia continued. "You'll be able to _feel_ the Force in you and around you."

Nodding, Shailene sat herself down and crossed her legs. She had to get herself comfortable first before she began the daily routine. She'd only been with Leia and the Resistance for a couple weeks, and it took a while for the young girl to get comfortable with the change in environment. A lot of the members were particularly friendly, giving her advice on how to make it and what their main goals were. Shailene found it all to be a bit nerve-wracking, for starters, but also _insane_. How such a small Resistance could hope to stop the entire First Order was beyond her, but they were dedicated. Their devotion to their cause, and their continuous support of each other, did spark something deep inside Shailene, however. Something she couldn't quite explain.

"Are you concentrating, Shailene?" Leia asked, interrupting the young girl's thoughts.

"Right, I am, General."

"I told you not to be so formal around me. You're free to call me Leia."

With a hint of a smile on her face, Shailene chose not to respond. Leia's decision to not let the young girl speak to her with formalities had been something established early in their relationship. The reasoning was because the General knew Shailene's family, and it would feel weird to have the young girl speak that way to her. The only problem was that Shailene didn't want to feel as though she was being given special treatment because Leia refused to let her use proper titles.

Taking a deep breath, Shailene tried to shake those thoughts out of her mind. She didn't have time to think like that. Meditation was the one thing she had to focus on. She had to focus on the Force, feel its presence around her and inside her. That is a big part of her lesson.* But there are moments where Shailene feels something else. She knows it's the Force, but it's darker, more intense. Occasionally she'd feel it try and enter her, as if trying to creep its way into her body. Shailene couldn't make heads or tails of it, and she wasn't sure whether or not she should tell Leia. It was terrifying, knowing the Force could be so dark. And it was in that moment, that meditation, that Shailene started to feel that usual creeping sensation.

* * *

 **(A/N):**

 **Sorry for the wait on this chapter. Also, sorry if it's super poorly written. I'm new to the Star Wars fandom, if it isn't blatantly obvious by how I wrote this. For those of you who're diehard Star Wars fans, please tell me where I can improve this chapter. Constructive criticism is always nice, as long as you're not being a complete asshole about it.**

 **Nothing in the Star Wars fandom belongs to me. All I own are my OCs, my subplots, and the cell phone I'm currently charging. If you've got ideas for OCs or subplots, be sure to PM me or leave a review. I'll add them in as soon as possible.**

 **As a final side-note, this story will take place during the Force Awakens. But I'm thinking it'll take some time before I build it up to that movie. So, yeah.**

 **Be sure to leave a random fact if you have one! It can be on something you've known for a while or something you've learned recently.**

 **Thanks a bunch, guys.**

 **Georgia Dominguez**


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